Tips on Poker Cash Games

Poker tournaments get TV ratings and impress the crowds, but the real daily grind happens for most pros around a cash game. It might not seem glamorous, but cash games are where the real money in poker is won or lost. The biggest pots in history dwarf even the largest poker tournament prize pools.

For an example of how insane high stakes poker can get, we recommend you check out Michael Craig's wonderful book "The Professor, The Banker, and the Suicide King" about the true story of a Texas Billionaire coming out to Vegas to challenge the world's best poker players for an obscene amount of money. And while you're waiting for the book to be shipped out, check our list of poker tips for cash games.

1. Play to Scoop - in hi/lo games, your best hands are those with potential to win both high and low.

2. Expected Value (EV) is the theoretical return you will get on a bet should you make it many times.

3. Flush and straight draws typically require several callers to have a positive EV.

4. Pairs and high cards have a higher EV in pots with few opponents.

5. Several callers give the pot odds for your suited connectors and AXs hands a positive EV.

6. The greatest addition to your hourly profit will be had by saving bets.

7. To avoid going broke during the natural fluctuations in which even premium hands lose, your bankroll should be at least 300 big bets of whatever limit you play.

8. Sit down with enough chips to cover at least 15 big bets, with more in your pocket should you need it.

9. If you are seeing the flop over 25% of the time in a 9-or-10-handed game, you are probably so loose that you will lose in the long run.

10. Though lower limits have less skilled, looser opponents that are apt to throw money in the pot, higher limit games have many bets in the pot because there are more aggressive players.

11. At a tight table, bring your aggressive persona to take down lots of pots.

12. At a loose table, wait for solid hands that will win at a showdown.

13. Don't flash your roll... it may encourage someone to steal it.

14. A strong draw hand combined with late position is a great time to give a "false tell" that you intend to bet/raise. If this makes your opponent check to you, you can see the fifth card for free. They are likely to come out betting after the river, allowing you to raise them if you hit your draw.

15. Keeping track of how often an opponent sees the flop teaches you much about their starting hand requirements.

16. Sit behind the money. You get to act after they do.

17. Look to your left before you act pre-flop. Try to spot players likely to fold.

If you can master the art of the cash game, there is almost no limit to how much money you can make... you just have to find the right game. Hopefully these cash game poker tips will help you the next time you sit down to mix it up on the felt. Check out our next page of top poker tips, where we take a look at tournament poker tips!

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